Generally described, computing devices utilize a communication network, or a series of communication networks, to exchange data. Companies and organizations operate computer networks that interconnect a number of computing devices to support operations or provide services to third parties. The computing systems can be located in a single geographic location or located in multiple, distinct geographic locations (e.g., interconnected via private or public communication networks). Specifically, data centers or data processing centers, herein generally referred to as “data centers,” may include a number of interconnected computing systems to provide computing resources to users of the data center. The data centers may be private data centers operated on behalf of an organization or public data centers operated on behalf, or for the benefit of, the general public.
Service providers or content creators (such as businesses, artists, media distribution services, etc.) can employ a series of interconnected data centers to deliver content (such as web sites, web content, or other digital data) to users or clients. These interconnected data centers are sometimes referred to as “content delivery networks” (CDNs) or streaming content delivery systems. Existing routing and addressing technologies can enable multiple data centers associated with a streaming content delivery system to provide similar or identical content to client computing devices. In some instances, each data center providing a set of content may be referred to as a point-of-presence (“POP”). A streaming content delivery system can maintain POPs over a wide area (or worldwide) to enable the system to efficiently service requests from clients in a variety of locations.
CDNs can be utilized to distribute wide varieties of content, and in some instances may serve to replicate or replace prior content distribution systems. For example, CDNs can provide network-based streaming video or audio content in a manner similar to traditional television or radio networks. This content is sometimes referred to as “internet television” or “internet radio,” respectively. The streaming content can typically be viewed by dedicated computing devices (e.g., set top boxes), dedicated viewers on client computing devices (e.g., software applications), or non-dedicated software applications (e.g., web browsers). Often, these viewers provide functionality greater than the functionality available on traditional distribution networks, like television or radio, such as the availability to play content “on-demand.” This flexibility can lead to a wide diversity of content being included within a content stream. For example, different users can be provided within different legal warnings according to their jurisdictional location, or with different advertisements according to their predicted preferences. However, the diversity of content can also result in inconsistent formatting within a content stream. For example, a main content may be formatted according to a first set of parameters, while additional content such as advertisements are formatted according to a second, different set of parameters. This inconsistent formatting can cause both technical issues, as playback devices attempt to play content of differing format, and an undesirable user experience.